不修边幅 (bù xiū biān fú) — to be slovenly in appearance; to not care about one's grooming or attire

Definition

A chengyu describing someone who doesn't care about their appearance or grooming — slovenly, unkempt in dress, but with no moral judgment, just an observation of the look.

idiom
to be slovenly in appearanceto not care about one's grooming or attire

Examples

  • ，不修边幅，。
    Tā zhěng tiān gōng zuò tài máng, shēng huó shàng bù xiū biān fú, yī fu yě lǎn de huàn.
    He's so busy with work all day that he's slovenly in daily life and too lazy to change his clothes.
  • ，不修边幅，。
    Zhè wèi zuò jiā xìng gé sǎ tuō, píng shí bù xiū biān fú, dàn xiě chū lái de wén zhāng què fēi cháng jīng cǎi.
    This writer has an easygoing personality and is usually slovenly in appearance, but the articles he writes are brilliant.
  • 不修边幅，，。
    Tā suī rán bù xiū biān fú, dàn cái huá chū zhòng, dà jiā dōu hěn pèi fú tā.
    Although he's slovenly in appearance, he is extraordinarily talented, and everyone admires him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

不修not attend to
不bùnot修xiūattend to
偏正Modifier + head
边幅appearance
边biānedge幅fúwidth
联合Side by side

不修 means not attend to, and 边幅 means edges and width, i.e. appearance; together they describe being slovenly.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu修xiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

修 is built from 攸, which gives the sound, and 彡, a set of three strokes that shows the meaning.

Open 修 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīnclothing
Sound part声符shēngfú
畐
畐fú幅⁰fú
Same sound today

幅 is built from 巾, a component related to cloth or clothing, and 畐, which gives its sound.

Open 幅 →

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